This Path We Tread
by Tears of Stardust
Summary: ~*I Will Show You Fear In a Handful of Dust*~ The orphanage gang + Rinoa must now confront a new evil that makes Ultimecia and Time Compression seem like a children's bedtime story...
1. Though We Walk Through the Valley of the...

Disclaimer: I own only the idea for my story and any original characters. The quote in the summary was originally said by T.S. Eliot.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Rinoa wandered amongst the battered and bloodied bodies, picking her way carefully so that she would not step upon their ever-sleeping forms. She looked and tried to identify faces where she could, although some had faces that were little more than fractured pieces of skull.  
  
There was a certain face she was looking for, one with a scar etched permanently across his forehead, unhidden by unruly brown hair. She brushed a piece of blood-soaked, black hair away from her forehead and bent over a man who had only shards of clothes left on him, blown away by some fire spell perhaps. She hoped it wasn't Squall…but she knew that he would be here somewhere.  
  
She grunted as she slowly turned him over on to his back. His face was not of her lover Squall, but of someone who was of importance to her.  
  
"Irvine," she whispered softly, a tear streaking it's way down her dirty face. His hair had been all but singed off, making him look like Squall from where she had been standing. His gun was held as if he had tried to protect someone, but had died in the attempt. When Rinoa looked to the left of him she knew why.  
  
Torn and tattered fragments of bright yellow lay on the ground and the bubbly brunette once known as Selphie lay on the dirt on her back, her eyes gazing up at the cerulean sky. It would have been a perfect sky had it not had to witness the carnage laid below.  
  
All of Balamb's SeeDs had turned out to fight this last battle…and one after another they had been slaughtered mercilessly. Not one stood on these vast plains…and Rinoa has soon to join them.  
  
An arrow protruded grotesquely from her side, spilling a little bit of blood every step that she took. Ironic as fate is, she ran out of all healing spells during the battle, trying to keep herself alive. Now, she didn't care…all she wanted was to find Squall. Once she found him…then she could finally close her eyes.  
  
No, that was wrong. There was something else; something important that her pain-racked body refused to let her mind remember.  
  
Rinoa stood up a little too fast then, her sight blurring in front of her eyes. She wanted to find Squall, no, needed to find Squall, if only for that one thing her mind kept her from forgetting completely. She was ever- aware of it's presence but never of it's form. It did not distract her.  
  
She walked a few more steps, then saw Quistis' blonde hair spilling over her pink outfit, face-down in the bloody grass. Rinoa's face twisted with horror and was about to go over and see if she could do anything when she felt another sharp pain in her side, almost causing her to tumble over. No, she must find Squall first.  
  
She stumbled forward and tripped over a nearby body, sending her sprawling to the ground. Rinoa picked herself up painfully and moaned softly. Turning to she if she recognized who it was, her heart caught in her throat. It was Squall.  
  
Rinoa reached over and held his head in her small hands, her own brown eyes meeting his blue. "No Squall, please, you can't die." But she was too late, her love recently dead. She began to sob then, rocking herself back and forth while still cradling his head, ignoring the growing pain in her side as the arrow worked it's way deeper inside of her body.  
  
Suddenly, Rinoa felt a sudden calm descend upon her. She glanced at Squall's closed left fist and slowly opened it, fearing and anticipating what was inside at the same time. A small, crimson orb sat in his palm, no bigger than a grape. It's depths swirled mysteriously as though some power within it had finally come alive. She picked it up and felt the power flow through her body. Rinoa remembered what she had to do now.  
  
"Remember," she whispered softly, and it seemed to swirl about even faster, looking like a contained tornado, "remember all what was happened here, so that this mistake will not be repeated. Let the next turn of this universal wheel have a different ending than what happened here. Remember…."  
  
Rinoa shuddered violently, the arrow finally doing the ultimate damage. It had punctured a lung and Rinoa was starting to die. She let the orb fall from her hands and hit the ground where it glowed brightly for a moment, then disappeared into another time warp.  
  
"No matter what we do," Rinoa grimaced, "it seems we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of our futures. I just hope that this time it will be enough to stop them the next time through…" She collapsed onto Squall's chest as the pain began to assault her every sense.  
  
"Please…live free." As the breath escaped her lungs, no new one came to replace it and she died sprawled on top of her lover.  
  
A/N: I will only write the next chapter if I get satisfactory reviews/any reviews at all. Thanks for taking the time to read it! 


	2. The Crimson Orb of Future's Past

Chapter 2  
  
Whoohoo! I'm going to personally shout-out to all those who reviewed! Thanks for the encouragement guys, keep it coming! Pink-Flames: If you return then you shall ^_^ Satoshi: ^_^ LividCoffee: You're about to find out ^_^ Lyaka: Ok. Angel Greenleaf: I would like to know where I'm going with this myself :S ChaosWEAPON: Yeah, I'm reading the Wastelands right now. Gotta love Stephen King. Sarsa: Stop crying! Your mascara will run! *offers tissues Phoebe: I didn't want to write about Zell as I was trying to get out of my dark mood by that time (I wrote in two sittings) and didn't feel like depressing meself further. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the first ^_^ Divine Sorceress: As I will, unless we get killed from here to Europe. Wayward Tempest: *falls to floor Owwie! Anyway, email me gurl and you'll get a sneak peek! (since I've emailed you like 3 times, grumble grumble) Ethrial: Glad I have your attention ^_^ Guest: Make sure to come back and check up on it!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the idea for my story.  
  
Dark flames rose around the throne, downing out the screams of those held in chains below him. The man seated there was clothed in a black robe and trousers, fitting attire for one such as himself as they were stained with blood.  
  
The crimson orb from the battle fought far into the future lay in his hand, it's dull and dark depths peering up at him and searching the blackness of his soul.  
  
"Tch, what a trifle thing. How could this hold so much power…? No matter; the memories stored inside will not be able to save this turn of the wheel, as they have not been able to save the last stretching into eternity past and the future that will stretch into eternity present. Although as long as this is alive, time cannot pass beyond the battle. The young sorceress has been clever in that aspect, but still not clever enough to save all that she loves."  
  
The piercing scream of a young woman below caused the man to flinch as it bore it's way into his brain. Had he the choice, he would not be here, be bound to this orb that mingled his own life force to it's depths. But he was not one to ponder why he got where he was, so he dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it had come.  
  
He sighed. Another turn of the wheel, another place to send the orb to, in an attempt to hide it. Although he didn't want Squall, Rinoa and the others to win in this ever-long battle, he was growing weary of re-living this past little while over and over again. He supposed it was the fickle hand that fate had dealt him, but that didn't mean that he had to like it.  
  
"Go now," he commanded the orb, causing it to levitate from his hand and float silently in the air, "Go to Edea's orphanage and bury yourself within that Hyne forsaken wreckage. Maybe they won't be able to find it, and the world will move on as it once did…"  
  
  
  
Large, fluffy white storm clouds lolled lazily in the sky, too intent on enjoying the sunlight to move anywhere from their current position. The sky around the clouds was a cerulean blue, the perfect colour on a day like today. It was neither too warm nor too cold; just that perfect temperature in which one wore a light coat over a t-shirt. The wind wasn't present, probably pre-occupied with something else across the ocean.  
  
The orphanage gang minus Ellone and Seifer were sprawled out on the grass of the Balamb plains, enjoying the mid-afternoon sun and just chatting amongst themselves. It had been 3 months since they last were all together, fighting an immense evil dubbed Ultimecia.  
  
Irvine was at the north of the small circle, lazily chewing on a long piece of grass that he had plucked from the earth, his cowboy hat slightly askew on his head. He propped his upper back up with his elbows and his legs stretched out long in front of him. His head was slightly tipped back, looking up at the sky.  
  
Selphie sat to his left, her legs drawn up to her chest and held there with her arms. A slight smirk on her face suggested that she was feeling mischievous, a sure sign that she would be of some naughty fun at the moment. She was also looking into the skies.  
  
A little ways to his right sat Zell, who kept fidgeting and changing positions and trying to see what the others were looking at in the sky. He looked slightly annoyed and the low growls of his stomach informed the others that it might not be long until their picnic lunch was broken into.  
  
On Zell's right was Quistis, who sat with both legs together and slightly tucked under herself, slanting off to the side. She raised a delicate hand to shield her eyes from the sun's rays and was also staring into the cerulean depths of the sky.  
  
Squall and Rinoa sat opposite Irvine and Selphie, their left arms wound around each other with Rinoa leaning into the soft black leather of Squall's coat. They were also looking into the sky.  
  
"What about the one right above us?" Rinoa asked, pointing to one of the large clouds in the sky.  
  
"A flashlight perhaps" Quistis mused. "Although the little bulge toward the one end makes it look a little funny."  
  
A glint of amusement flashed across Selphie's brown eyes and leaned over and began to whisper furiously into Irvine's ear. A slight blush crept up his cheeks and he reached over to hold Selphie.  
  
"I think it looks like a hotdog," Zell moaned.  
  
"You thought that the least three looked like hotdogs!" Irvine interjected.  
  
"Well maybe because I'm out here starving might have something to do with it!" Zell shot back.  
  
Rinoa started to laugh at their little antics and poked Squall in the ribs gently. "Well, what do you think it is?"  
  
"I think it's a cloud," he said rather solemnly.  
  
"Oh, you're no fun!" Rinoa pouted.  
  
"You know I'm joking." Squall leaned over and kissed Rinoa lightly. "I think it looks like…a man with a really big head and skinny body."  
  
Rinoa hit him lightly on the shoulder. "That's not very imaginative!"  
  
"Well, you tell me what you think!" Squall teased playfully.  
  
"Alright." Rinoa squared her shoulders and began to think. "It looks like a…"  
  
All of a sudden, an image appeared before Rinoa's eyes; a glowing red orb held in someone's cracked and ancient palm. Then, a picture of the orphanage flashed by, so fast that it only imprinted itself on her unconscious memory.  
  
"…a crimson orb." Rinoa heard herself saying.  
  
"What…?" Quistis leaned forward, worried about Rinoa.  
  
"You ok Rinny?" Selphie asked, a worried look replacing her previous devilish one.  
  
"Rinoa…?" Squall wrapped her in his arms and brought her closer to himself. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I…I don't know," she replied, a tremor of fear creeping down her spine. Little did she know that this was only the beginning…  
  
A/N: Before I get people asking in reviews, the man in the first part is NOT Satan! Thank you. Reviews always welcome ^_^ 


	3. Of Bars and Flares

Chapter 3  
  
Since I don't feel like typing out replies personally to all the reviews again (because carpal tunnel would suck!) I'd just like to let people know that I read them and love them with all my heart ^_^ Also, this chapter was written for the reviewer who asked for Seifer. Enjoy ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for any original characters and the idea for my story  
  
"Another shot bartender!" shouted a rowdy man from a stool beside the counter of the Balamb bar which had moved from the hotel and to a place right across from Zell's mother's home. The patron's close-cropped blonde hair shone dully in the dim light of the bar, his blood-stained trench coat looking at the more sinister in the bad lighting. A gunblade sat beside him, dull from a long time of use without being re-sharpened. His glazed eyes looked behind him to the dark blue décor of the bar and noticed that no one was here. No one would be of course; it was around 1pm.  
  
"Better slow down padnar," the barkeep drawled like a cowboy out of some old documentary movie. He wore a patch over one eye, his other eye a bright amethyst colour that seemed to peer right into his mind. He had a muscular build from working in the army before his eye was gouged out and most likely kept it from throwing drunken bums out of his bar. He wore a tattered blue muscle shirt that was stained with grease and Hyne only knew what else.  
  
The barkeep put his elbows on the bar-counter and leaned forward until he was inches away from Seifer. Seifer leaned back a little, disgusted by the smell of his breath which was a potent mix of dried meats and several different kinds of cheese.  
  
"Back off buddy," Seifer slurred, "I don't want to hurt you…" he reached down and lightly tapped his gunblade, "but I will if I have to."  
  
The barkeep laughed heartily at this until his eye patch had almost fallen off his face and tears slid down his good eye. "If you could so much as break the skin of someone with that dull blade then I'd eat my eye patch!"  
  
Seifer growled but was too wasted to think of a good reply. "Just hit me and be down with it."  
  
The barkeep pulled out a large flask and poured some whiskey into his little shot glass. The clear brown liquid sat in the glass for only a moment as Seifer quickly grabbed the glass, tilted his head back and downed the alcohol with one swig. "More," he demanded as he slammed the shot glass back down on the navy, glass-ringed counter.  
  
"I think you've had enough." Seifer glared hard at the man, but then in his drunkenness decided that he better leave him alone for the moment.  
  
"Fine, I'm leaving." He stood up abruptly from his stool, swaying slightly back and forth. "If I can't get anymore drinks here then I'll go to some other bar!"  
  
"There's no other bar in Balamb there bud," the bartender sneered, "And I think you should hang out here until you're sober enough to wander around in the streets."  
  
"I'm not staying here any longer," Seifer snarled and grabbed his gunblade, "You can send the bill to Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden."  
  
"You can be sure I will," the bartender called after him as he strode out into the street. He lurched from side to side until he had to rest against the cold stone slab of a nearby building to try to regain his balance.  
  
"What's the matter with Seifer? He isn't usually like this, ya know?" came a masculine voice from behind him. Seifer whirled around and came to face-to-face with the muscular, dark-skinned Raijin and the silver-haired Fujin.  
  
"DRUNK." She brushed a stray strand of hair off her eye patch and looked at Seifer accusingly. "YOU PROMISED."  
  
"Well, I can break my promises as I please," Seifer argued, "sides, I don't need either of you, so go away already!" He staggered off toward the dock, the other two members of his posse doggedly trailing him to the docks so that he wouldn't accidentally fall in and drown himself.  
  
Suddenly, a bright arch of crimson painted the sky in the southern direction, painting the sky as though it were dusk in the middle of the afternoon. It remained there for a moment, then slowly fell back down and appeared to land into the ocean. Two more appeared after that one had sank, appearing and disappearing in the same manner.  
  
"They might be flares, ya know?" Raijin suggested after they turned to look at each other.  
  
"TROUBLE," was all that Fujin cared to state.  
  
"We should go and check it out….ugh," Seifer started before he doubled over and was sick over the side of the dock.  
  
When he was done emptying the contents of his stomach, the trio looked outward across the ocean. Whatever it was, they wanted to get to the bottom of it. 


	4. Restless Actions

Chapter 4  
  
I don't own anything except for any original characters and the idea for my story.  
  
He stood on the outdoor balcony of the Garden, the wind trying in vain to rake through his gelled blonde hair. His blue eyes stared out to the South, straining to make out the vague forms of the Centra continent's outlying islands.  
  
After the incident with Rinoa and her vision, they had decided to return to the Garden so that Rinoa could get some much needed rest. It was then that they had noticed the bright lights from the South, and they had decided to investigate.  
  
Most of the gang had went their separate ways to prepare for a possible battle, but Zell felt compelled to come out on the deck and watch for the approaching continent. He felt himself being unexplainably drawn toward it, and with growing impatience because it seemed to be taking so long to get there. Although he knew that the Garden had to detour around the long bridge that connected Fisherman's Horizon to Esthar and Galbadian continents, he still thought that they were making incredibly slow progress to their goal.  
  
He began to fidget and started dancing back and forth on his toes, punching the air in a quick series of punches.  
  
"Zell, are you alright?" came a worried voice from behind him. He turned around and saw behind him was Quistis, standing near to the large metal door that lead out to the balcony.  
  
"Yes, it's just taking too long to get there. I want to be able to get to the bottom of this!" he threw another few punches into the air, his well- defined muscles flexing in a known pattern.  
  
"Don't we all?" Quistis walked over and placed her elbows on the edge of the balcony and sighed, her eyes also drawn to the South. The wind picked at her clipped hair and managed to loosen a strand of silky blonde hair. The wind tugged at it, trying to get it to wander the plains and mountains of the world, in essence to become the wind itself. Quistis felt the piece become loose, and tucked it behind her right ear.  
  
"How's Rinoa?" Zell asked suddenly, stopping his movements and standing still, watching Quistis' back.  
  
"She was still sleeping last time I saw her. Dr. Kadowaki says it was probably heat stroke from being out in the sun too long without anything to drink." Quistis turned and placed her elbows so only the crooks rested on the edge of the railing and faced Zell. "You should probably go see her…Squall as well. He pretends that it's not affecting him that much, but I can tell he's hurting."  
  
"Alright, see you later then Quistis!" Zell said with a quick wave as he trotted off to find Squall. Quistis smiled and turned her attention back to the ocean that lay before her. How long until they reached Centra…? Each passing moment felt like an hour and the dread in her heart was growing the closer and closer they got to Centra. She hoped that it had just been some hicks and with fireworks that had gone off at an inappropriate time. Quistis was always one for false hope.  
  
  
  
The bubbly brunette smoothed down the midnight-black hair of the girl lying on the cot in the infirmary. "You just sleep and get better ok?" The girl on the bed made no response, and Selphie's emerald eyes flickered with concern.  
  
Selphie saw that being there at the moment was hardly useful, so she wandered off aimlessly through the Garden, trying to find someone she knew. The students who passed by her were almost shocked at the sullen look on her face, not accustomed to a non-smiling Selphie. She walked for what seemed like hours around and around the Garden, just making her way through the crowds of milling students as they were excused for the rest of the day.  
  
Eventually, she found herself on a bench just to the right of the entrance in front of the library, just watching as the people walked by. She sighed, leaned her head against the back of the bench and closed her eyes, a little exhausted.  
  
"Hey, if you want to sleep don't do so in public…I'll give you my room number." Selphie's eyes flew open and saw a grinning Irvine, his cowboy hat tipped coyly and covering much of his face.  
  
"Irvine! You scared me, I thought it was someone else!" Selphie's smile returned to her face; just being around Irvine amplified her energy.  
  
"Oh, so did I disappoint you?" Irvine asked, pretending to be hurt. Selphie shook her head, her curls bouncing around.  
  
"That's my girl," he said, putting his arm around her. Selphie snuggled closer to him, glad that for the moment she was the only woman who held his attention.  
  
"What do you think about the stuff that happened in the distance? Someone bombing a village?" Selphie asked, a little tinge in her voice revealing her excitement.  
  
"Whatever it is, I think it's trouble. I cleaned and reloaded my gun, just in case." Irvine patted his Exeter, it's newly shined casing glowing garishly in the lighting of the Garden hallway.  
  
"Yeah…I made sure that my Strange Vision wasn't in too bad of a shape… Hey! I know what we should do!" Selphie cried suddenly, standing up so fast that her head felt light for a few seconds.  
  
"What's that?" Irvine asked, tipping his hat back so that he could look at Selphie from his spot on the bench, his eyes glittering with amusement.  
  
"We could get Rinoa's weapon ready for her so that when she wakes up she won't have to do it herself!" Selphie squealing, searching Irvine's face to see what he thought.  
  
A grin lit up his face; Selphie's personality was so infectious. "Alright, let's go. It's better than sitting around doing nothing." Irvine stood and offered Selphie his arm, which she took gladly, oblivious to the many stares she got from jealous onlookers.  
  
  
  
Squall wiped his arm across his forehead, the sweat from his excursions coming off and soaking into his sleeve. His tired eyes gazed around the foliage of the training center, waiting for his next challenge to appear. He had been fighting in here ever since he saw Rinoa off to the infirmary, and his feelings were still raging inside of him.  
  
A grat burst from the bushes to his right, giving him no time to think anymore on the matter, it's long arms flaying wildly above Squall's head. He took his Lionheart and dashed madly toward the grat, throwing caution to the wind. The grat had never been attacked in that manner before, and paused for a second, wondering what to do. That second was all that Squall needed.  
  
He took his gunblade and speared the grat deep within it's chest, cutting to it's very heart. It screamed it's horrible scream, one shared by almost all the monsters that were slain in combat, and then it's body slowly turned to dust.  
  
"Good riddance, bastard," Squall heaved, trying to catch his breath. The only GF that he had bothered equipping was Diablos, and the dark demon's strength seemed to also be wavering with the numerous battles in the training center.  
  
Many times Squall had wondered where they found the monsters to be captured and put in the training center, but he never bothered asking. It was irrelevant to anything immediate in his life; as long as he could train to take his mind of things, he was happy.  
  
He walked across the rickety bridge that spanned across the small pond of water in the training center, when he saw the withered bouquet of flowers sitting on the bottom of the pond near the bridge. Peering over, he saw that they were the tiny skeletons that roses and other such flowers leave behind, stems and petals before they rot away.  
  
Leaning over further, he saw that a stone had been attached to the flowers to keep them from floating away on the surface. Someone must have fallen in battle here, or somewhere near here.  
  
Squall only shook his head. He had warned new student after new student that fucking around in the training center could end up with you dead. He wasn't entirely without sympathy though…he wondered who the poor soul was that had drawn their last breath here.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the intercom. "Squall, please report to the bridge. I repeat, Squall, please report to the bridge."  
  
"We must have reached Centra," he muttered before making his way back to the bridge, making a mental note to ask Nida or Xu if they had heard of any recent deaths in the training center. 


	5. Tension

Chapter 5  
  
Disclaimer: Really, if I owned Final Fantasy 8 or any of it's characters, do you think that I would be sitting here writing fanfiction?  
  
This chapter is dedicated to one of my best friends, Erika (aka Divine Sorceress on Fanfic, check her stories out!) because she's the one who finally got me writing on this half-finished chapter again. Erika, this Bud's for you!  
  
  
  
The halls of Garden were filled with the excited chatter of the student body as Irvine and Selphie weaved their way through the crowd of people standing around in the circular hallway of the Garden. It seemed that the mob of teenagers was eager to find out what the light was as well, and many had placed bets already to who would find the source first. Needless to say, something that should have been a low-key mission had turned out to be a fun day for most of the students, as Squall gave permission to the teacher to let the students have an off day. Any help would be good though, because small or not, Centra was still a continent.  
  
They strolled into the infirmary arm-in-arm, noticing that the resident doctor wasn't present at the moment. Neither of them gave it much notice though as Rinoa was sitting up with her legs swinging over the side of the bed, a distant look in her eyes.  
  
"Hey girly!" Selphie exclaimed, bouncing over and sitting herself beside the young sorceress. The beige blanket crinkled up and Irvine noticed with a slight grimace of disgust that there was a small, faint blood stain on the sheets that had not come out with the many washings he knew the sheets of the infirmary went through.  
  
"We brought you your weapon, in case we meet some trouble on Centra," Irvine said, tossing the pinwheel lightly on the bed toward the wall so it wouldn't harm either of the females. He grinned mischievously, trying to goad a reaction out of Rinoa. "I was kind of surprised that a delicate little girl such as yourself could handle such a heavy weapon."  
  
Rinoa forced a thin smile on her face, grateful at his attempt to lift her mood, but the vision from earlier still plagued her mind and she couldn't seem to rid it from her waking thoughts. Still, her friends were trying; she should at least try to play along.  
  
"Actually," Rinoa began, a comeback forming in her mind, "I was surprised that you could even lift it at all Irvine."  
  
"Ugh!" Irvine held a hand over his heart as though he were shot. Selphie began to giggle uncontrollably, glad to see both her friends in better spirits. "You've speared me with your biting wit!" Irvine continued playfully, a large grin plastered across his face.  
  
"C'mon Rinny, let's go see what's going on." Selphie smiled at her and slipped her arm through Rinoa's left. Irvine, grinning and picking up on Selphie's subtle non-verbal clues laced his own arm through Rinoa's right.  
  
"You're stuck with us now." Irvine grinned at Rinoa and winked over at Selphie.  
  
Rinoa felt a genuine smile flirt with her mouth. "But how can I get my weapon now?"  
  
Laughter burst from the three of them as Rinoa readied her weapon and they made their way to the front entrance of Garden.  
  
"Squall, I've been looking for you, man!" Zell exclaimed breathlessly as he caught up to the serious swordsman. Squall glanced back and saw that Zell had a very flushed look to his visage and slowed his pace a little so that the duelist would have no problems keeping step.  
  
"What for?" Squall asked rather coldly, although he couldn't deny the fact that his interest was slightly piqued. Zell was always running around but when he ran around with a purpose it usually meant something important.  
  
"I dunno." He shrugged and put his fists into his pockets, eyeing Squall out of the corner of his vision. Zell wanted to test the waters a little before he might get Squall upset. The others had tried to teach him as much when he was dealing with the pensive commander.  
  
"So..you ran all this way for no reason?" Squall knew something was up. Zell wasn't the type to have a good poker face.  
  
The blonde man ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "Well.. I actually was talking to a few people and-"  
  
"You were talking to Quistis weren't you?" Squall accused, slightly irked at the way his emotions were made everyone's business to fix.  
  
"What!?" Zell exclaimed, unnerved at how quickly Squall had seen through his little façade.  
  
Squall sighed inwardly. It seemed that everything was destined to be topsy- turvy today. "Look, Zell, I don't have the time at the moment. I have to go to the bridge and see what our plan of action is."  
  
"Alright," Zell acknowledged, stopping in the hallway to let Squall go the rest of the way in peace.  
  
Squall cursed inwardly. He was so callous to his friends, even though he didn't mean to be. "Hey Zell." The blonde man smiled to Squall, hoping that he would tell the duelist he could come along as well. "Get prepared for battle, alright?" The words sounded a little hollow, and Squall wished that he had the grit to tell Zell what he really meant, what his friend wanted him to say.  
  
Zell smiled a little sadly, then shook it off like a dog coming in from the rain. "See you on Centra, Squall."  
  
"Yeah, see ya."  
  
Quistis sat silently on one of the benches by the directory, unconsciously fondling the whip coiled in her lap, her lips pressed into a tight line across her face. Her sapphire eyes were clouded and unreadable to the passerby, and by her rigid posture she looked almost like a marble statue, one so perfect as to spring to life any moment. That is, if she stopped her fidgeting.  
  
Her eyes lit up briefly as Selphie, Irvine and Rinoa approached her, then went back to their earlier state as she watched the student body running around and basically causing as much havoc possible. The trio noticed the sterility of her demeanor, and decided that it was an act of the Great Hyne thrust upon them to cheer this forlorn teacher up.  
  
"Hey Quistis, what's up?" Irvine asked, sliding next to her on the bench and wrapping a friendly arm around her thin shoulders, snapping Quistis out of her reverie.  
  
"Oh, nothing Irvine," Quistis said slowly, choosing her words and not looking at him full in the face, rather at his pointed cowboy boys. "I was just thinking."  
  
"You've been hanging around Squall too much," Selphie giggled, flopping herself down on Irvine's right.  
  
"I agree." Rinoa sat down on Quistis' left, surrounding her if she tried to bolt..although since it was Quistis it wasn't it very likely possibility. "If there's one thing that'll make you old before your time, it's thinking too much."  
  
Quistis smiled thinly at that, feeling some of her good humour come back. At once they were interrupted though by Zell coming down the stairs, polishing his brass knuckles on his shirt as he made his way toward them.  
  
"Well, look who finally made it here," Irvine joked, winking at Zell.  
  
The duelist seemed a little steamed at the comment, although Irvine had not meant it to be goading. "I was checking on Squall, making sure that he was alright since Rin-" he shot a quick glance at Rinoa, noticing for the first time that she was also there. "Ahh..nothing."  
  
"Since I was in the infirmary?" the young sorceress stated bluntly. Everyone started to shift a little uncomfortably, as though the mere mention of Rinoa being in the medical wing would be enough for her to be sent back there again.  
  
Suddenly, a rather concerned looking Squall made his way down the stairs, not noticed the tangle of his friends had gathered by a bench not far from where we was.  
  
"Hey Squall, over here!" Selphie jumped up and waved, breaking Squall's concentration and he was clearly uneasy when his stormy-blue eyes focused on the group of comrades that had been there for who knew how long.  
  
Rinoa immediately sensed Squall's distress, and she stood and walked over to the SeeD commander, looping an arm through his. "What's wrong?" she muttered, hardly above an audible whisper.  
  
"Nothing," he whispered back in the same conspiratorial tone before addressing the rest of the people attending, "Well, the orders are."  
  
  
  
§A/N: Heh, a little bit of a cliffhanger I suppose. This chapter is rather uneventful, sorry readers! ~dodges thrown shoes~ But the next one will be better, I promise. A big, personal thank you will ensue to all the reviewers who reviewed the last chapter!  
  
~goes to the site and realizes it was only 2 people~ .... O_o  
  
Divine Sorceress: You rock gurlie! And yeah, the person who died is an incredibly casual connection until.BOOM! Hehe.  
  
AllieMarie4: ~is glad you think my fic has purpose~ Actually, the only thing I really had envisioned in the beginning was, in fact, the grotesque beginning, and I kinda ran with it. But now that I know where I'm going, I'm sure that you'll love it! ^_^ 


	6. An Unexpected Confrontation

Chapter 6  
  
Disclaimer: Me no own, no matter what me say. Personal thanks at the end of the chapter! Also, sorry for the lack of updates for awhile, I've been a bad authoress (  
Rinoa squinted her eyes tightly against the large amount of sunlight that assaulted her eyes, allowed her chocolate-coloured pupils to contract and adjust to the invading light. She held up one hand to visor her eyes from the sun, and gazed at the plains of Centra that stretched out before her. Although the Garden had the capability to send out students whilst it was parking in a forest, it was decided that they should stop on the plains, so that it would have optimum visibility to those who might find themselves lost.  
  
She heard a soft click at her right elbow, and she turned her head slightly to glance at Irvine through her peripheral vision. He had taken the safety off of his rifle, and was not gazing at the plains with a hardened look in his eyes. He was tired of this, Rinoa knew. They all were. Not one of them had asked to play heroes for the world the first time, and they weren't so anxious to sling themselves into that role a second.  
  
At that moment, Rinoa felt an almost overwhelming feeling of déjà vu sweep through her, knocking out her hearing for a brief instant in time. Ever since that fateful day when she had received her sorceress powers from Edea, Rinoa had trusted each and every one of her feelings, none of them ever leading her wrong once. She shivered in spite of the warmth of the southern continent and hoped that no one else noticed her discomfort.  
  
None had, as it were, for they were all pre-occupied with their own inner dialogue, each of them reluctant to take a single step outside. Squall, ever the fearless leader, was still mulling over the bouquet of flowers, not seriously worried about a flare that perhaps some kid had popped off thinking they were funny. Neither Nida nor Xu had heard anything about recent student deaths inside the Garden, and as a critical Virgo mind, he had to puzzle over it. Squall himself didn't care much for horoscopes and tried not to think using description as such, but Rinoa was fascinated with them and would read his to him everyday, whether he wanted her to or not.  
  
Irvine stood quietly, watching as some of the more eager students ran out of the Garden past them, brandishing their weapons with a relish for imminent violence and -for the lucky few- the sweet taste of victory. The once empty plains were now filled with people running around in pandemonium like kids on Easter trying to find the hidden eggs. It deeply disturbed him somehow: somewhere deep within his subconscious memory crying out at the irony of it all.  
  
He just brushed the feeling aside and grinned lazily. Maybe there would be a pretty lady somewhere in need of rescuing.maybe even his precious Selphie might get in a jam. Irvine loved playing hero.  
  
Zell was fidgeting nervously, bouncing in place on the balls of his feet, wanting to get out and in the action so as not to be standing around anxiously anymore. He began to throw imaginary punches in the area, getting himself warmed up for whatever beasties might be lying in wait for him on the plains. He checked his junctioning too, making sure that he was equipped optimally and could cure himself should the need arise.  
  
Selphie twirled her nunchaku around in a bored fashion, wanting like Zell to get out into some action. It had been awhile since Selphie had participated in a real battle, what with planning social activities for the Garden all the time. She patted the upside of one of her curls, a subconscious gesture that she wasn't aware of in her state of suspended interest.  
  
Quistis looked grimly about the plains, watching as many of her students yelled challenges and threats to each other, as well as many illegally betting on who would obtain whatever made the flash of light first. She closed her ice-blue eyes for a moment, then opened them again and watched her pupils as though she were just watching them for the first time. Although she and many others taught in the classroom, Quistis knew that the real education began out here.  
  
"So when are we going to fight already?" Zell asked in a slightly whining voice, breaking the silence that had seemed to descend upon the small group of comrades. Selphie visibly perked up at the idea, a small, barely concealed smile flirting with her lips.  
  
Rinoa picked up on the small smile that Squall was also trying to hide, and chuckled to herself. No matter what anyone said, she and everyone else who had been there knew that Squall had changed for the better from the Second Sorceress War. "Yeah, let's go!" She giggled, and then charged off to the plain, her early trepidation about this event forgotten.  
  
Quistis shared a smile with Selphie before she took off to catch up with Rinoa. Zell and Irvine took off as well, hoping to beat the two females at their own game. She turned her attention to Squall, who was apprehending her with a questioning gaze. "C'mon, just for this once, act like a kid again." With that she reached over and grabbed Squall's arm, pulling him out into the daylight.  
  
At first he resisted, but then Quistis was surprised when she let go of Squall and he ran on his own, matching his stride with hers, a wild grin upon his face. It seemed that for this one glimmer of time, he had given in to reckless abandon.  
  
Squall glanced ahead and saw the backs of their four companions, and nodded to them so that Quistis could see. "I'll race you." He immediately put on a burst of speed, not waiting for an answer from his old teacher.  
  
Not to be outdone, Quistis upped her own pace, although it was too little compared to the head start that Squall had taken, and he beat her as they reached their comrades, falling into a slower pace beside them and gasping for breath. They all laughed and continued onward, the whole gang in perfect harmony once again for an all-too-brief moment in time.  
  
Some students paused in their steps to give the heroic group a moment's reflection, some stopped altogether and stared whilst the rest merely glanced at them and nodded silently to themselves. It was as it once were: the whole gang, fighting again against some other form of the darkness. But there was a noticeable feeling of unease as they watched the group, a chill snaking it's way up their spines as they somehow knew this darkness was different; something that lay beyond Ultimecia and Time Compression and made them seem as inconsequential as the imaginary monster under the bed. No, this was something worse. Far worse.  
  
By this time the gathering of heroes had reached the shade of the closest forest across the plains, worn out yet exhilarated from their run and more than a few of them doubled over in order to catch their breaths. There was a smile upon everyone's faces though, and as soon as they slowed their collective breathing to a more normal pace, they slunk slowly into the forest, most of them making ready their respective weapons.  
  
The forest closed in around them, blocking out most of the sun's rays through the overhanging foliage of the trees. The air smelled sweetly of fresh, untrodden earth, and Rinoa inhaled deeply, silently rejoicing in the newness of this place and hoping to imprint the memory on her brain. As fate would have it, she would remember this day until she drew her last breath.  
  
The bubbly brunette was still on an artificial high from her run and she was quickly losing it, the feeling exiting her body rapidly as the lack of monsters or anything else to fight was starting to irritate her. Selphie wanted to see if she still could take down some bad-ass creatures with just a swing of her nunchaku.  
  
Suddenly, there was a crackling sound of some branches being broken not far ahead of them. Squall motioned for silence, and the group around and behind him obeyed, everyone clutching their weapons tighter. Adrenaline rushed through her brains, and they started to hear everything in sharper focus: the birds chirping the tree, the distant laughter and cat-calls of the students still wandering behind them and almost all of them could pick out the three separate pairs of footsteps approaching them.  
  
Everything seemed to move in slow motion -as things do whenever one looks back on dangerous situations- and when Seifer, Fuijin and Rajin jumped out of the undergrowth, there were six sets of weapons cocked and ready to blow, chop or slice them to pieces.  
  
At first confusion flashed upon the trio's faces, but it was quickly remedied. Fujin was the fastest of the three and had her pinwheel ready and cocked, her single eye gazing at the group defiantly. She wouldn't go down without a fight. Seifer was next, followed closely by Rajin, the gunblade and enormous staff out in a flash and ready to do battle.  
  
"What do you want Seifer?" Squall hissed through his teeth, twisting his fists slightly on the hilt of his gunblade. He moving his right foot backward slightly, making ready to charge if the blonde man decided that this wasn't a conflict that could be solved with words.  
  
Seifer grinned, showing his alignment of perfect teeth. "Probably the same thing you want, Commander," Seifer sneered the last word, the utter distain for Squall's newest title clearly visible upon his face. "But the difference between us would be that my little group will probably find it first."  
  
"Oh yeah!?" Zell cried, his right fist extended and shaking with pent up rage for the man who had made a mockery of SeeDs everywhere.  
  
Squall shot an irritated look at Zell, who quickly clamped his mouth shut, although he still trembled in anger. He then coolly turned his gaze on his childhood rival, assessing the man and his two companions as one would look over a racehorse that they were considering betting upon. "Alright Seifer, I'll take you up on your challenge. Whoever finds the cause of the flare first, wins."  
  
A huge grin split the former man's face, and Squall saw out of the corner of his eyes Rajin and Fujin clench all the more tighter on their weapons, their lips pulled into a tight smile that didn't reach their eyes. The members of Squall's team, however, grinned all the more openly, not very subtly twirling their assorted weapons and showing off their prowess.  
  
"It's on Leonhart." Seifer grinned, amused that he would at least have some fun despite the fact that he wasn't one hundred percent sober at the moment. "C'mon guys, we have a challenge to win."  
  
With that, Seifer ambled off into the forest once more, Fujin and Rajin tailing after him and shooting nervous glances back at the team assembled. Their footsteps could be heard as they crashed noisily through the undergrowth, making enough racket that everything in the immediate area could hear.  
  
"Well," Quistis commented dryly, "that was interesting."  
  
~*~*~*~ A/N: Yay! I could actually come up with something after so long of nothing! *Applauds self. Anyway, just a personal shout out to all that reviewed the last chapter that was posted:  
  
Kali Randone: Great, I'm glad to see that it inspired you! ^_^ Hope you come back and check up on it from time to time!  
  
FantasyTrepie14: Thank you! ^_^  
  
Divine Sorceress: Yeah, updating would be the only problem with this story.well, the lack of updates, anyway. Glad you're sticking with it, and just remember: I know where you live ^_^ Wait, but you know where I live too..o_o 


	7. Stranger In The Forest

Chapter 7  
  
Squall turned to the rest of the gang, a grim set to his face. They all knew what it was: his poker face. Game on. "We should split into two parties to cover more ground and find it faster. There were no rules or warnings against doing it, so why not take advantage of their mistake?"  
  
"So who's with who?" Quistis asked, glancing between the people assembled, her crystalline blue eyes flickering with barely concealed excitement. She idly fingered her whip, hoping to have it stained with some unfortunate monster's blood by the end of the day.  
  
Squall observed the gang and judged them for a moment before he spoke. "Quistis, Irvine and Selphie, you guys take the east side of this forest. Zell, Rinoa and myself will take the west side. We meet up at the Garden in an hour." Everyone nodded and turned to leave, but Squall motioned for them to stop. "Just remember this: no rules for us also means no rules for them. Watch each other's backs."  
  
A note of exhilaration had left the company and the east trio nodded solemnly before slinking off into the woods, only the softest snapping of twigs telling of their presence within the trees. Those left looked to Squall, hoping that he might have an internal compass of some kind to lead them to the flare.  
  
"I think we should go slightly northwest," Rinoa said quietly, and both of the males present turned toward her with quizzical looks on their faces. She cast her eyes downward, and scuffled her toes in the dirt of the forest floor. "I just . . . I have a feeling." She raised her head and saw Squall nod as he shouldered his gunblade, shifting the weight.  
  
"Lead the way." Squall gave her a look of understanding, and Rinoa felt a moment of animosity toward the man she loved. He doesn't understand, but how could I expect him to? How could I expect him to know what I fight against every time I feel the sorceress powers rising to try to get me to break down? He couldn't, but all the same, he should.  
  
Rinoa merely nodded, and then start walking in what she felt was the right direction. The air smelled of the soft yet slightly dry earth underneath, and more than once all present had to cross small streams that wound their way through the forest. The woods had fallen silent when they had noticed the numerous visitors prowling in its borders, and Rinoa felt unease settle it's awkward weight upon her shoulders.  
  
Someone finally said something when they took a short breather from their hurried pace about 20 minutes after they had started out. "It got really quiet in here, but there aren't any monsters," Zell started out, squatting over a patch of short, scrubby grass, "They usually are attracted to areas that they can hear people in."  
  
"Maybe the flare scared them off," Squall observed dryly as he took a swig of his water bottle, wiping his lips off with the back of his hand when he was done.  
  
Zell looked puzzled and glanced back and forth from Squall, to Rinoa, back to Squall. "You think it could do that?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Rinoa was only listening with half of an ear when a sudden slap of pain shot through her mind, causing her to kneel and clutch at her head. Squall and Zell were over to her side in an instant, Squall, attempting to awkwardly wrap his arm around her while Zell hovered above her small form, watching in every direction seemingly at once and jumping back and forth on his toes.  
  
"It's close," she whispered, turning her face to look at Squall's own. A concerned look shone in his blue-gray eyes, and he knew that this was something that only Rinoa could deal with, and he could do nothing to help her pain.  
  
"Any idea what it looks like?" Squall brushed a lock of hair out of her face and watched her intently, hoping for a sign that somehow this pain wouldn't come back. But for some reason, down in the very marrow of his bones, he knew it would.  
  
The brunette closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to sort out the feeling that was threatening to overwhelm her senses. The effort made pain blossom in what seemed like every crevice of her brain, and it was a miracle that she didn't pass out. "It's . . . it's hard to explain. I know what it is but . . . it's also more than words, you know? It looks like . . . a large crystal ball, only coloured red."  
  
"You mean this thing?" Squall and Rinoa craned their necks to glance behind them, and they saw Zell several feet away, toeing something on the ground. A cold wave of dread went through Rinoa's body and she began to shiver uncontrollably. Zell lifted in his hand a large crimson orb, only just fitting within the palm of his one hand. The depths within the glass ball swirled and danced like a desert sand storm coloured red and to Rinoa it seemed alive.  
  
"Don't touch that!" an unfamiliar voice screeched from the brush behind Zell. The blonde duelist jumped in surprise, but managed to maintain his grip on the orb and stared defiantly at the creature emerging from the shrubbery.  
  
It was an old woman who appeared, her back hunched over and her face a map of wrinkles. Her hair was long, gray and piled on top of her head and secured with a clip to keep it from falling over and spilling on her shoulders. She wore a long woven shawl, made from what Rinoa could only guess was the fur of monsters.  
  
"Do you normally go around and pick up things that you know nothing about?" the old woman scolded, circling Zell with movements that were faster than what seemed possible for a woman of her age.  
  
Squall frowned and stood up, crossing his arms in front of his chest and trying to make himself look as threatening as possible. And when Squall wanted to look threatening, you could damn well be sure that he was a scary beast to behold. "Who are you?" he demanded, moving his position slightly so that he was between the old woman and Rinoa.  
  
"No one to be concerned with," the elderly person answered, not bothering to look at Squall but instead gazing into the depths of the orb, seemingly transfixed with it. Squall followed her gaze and felt himself also being seduced by the same object, but he then tore his eyes away from the un- earthly thing, refusing to fall under the influence of its spell.  
  
Rinoa gazed at the old woman and studied her, noting the intelligence that flashed within the depths of her dark eyes. "Are you the Keeper of the Orb?"  
  
The old woman snorted in laughter and averted her stare from the ball for a moment to glance at Rinoa. "The Keeper isn't here. He resides elsewhere, and would send others before risking himself." With that she turned her attention back to the glowing sphere, her eyes raptly enjoying the beauty of it.  
  
"Who's the Keeper?" Zell asked, looking confusedly over at Rinoa. The young resistance member could only shrug her shoulders and shake her head. She had had no idea where the idea had spawned. It had just seemed right to ask.  
  
The old woman ignored their banter and gazed fixedly at the orb, her eyes drinking their fill of the sight. After a few moments, Squall cleared his throat rather loudly, which snapped the woman out of her silent reverie.  
  
She gave the group a crooked smile and then cocked her head to the side. "Do you hear that?" The entire body assembled strained their ears, but even Rinoa's supernatural Sorceress hearing couldn't pick up what the old lady was talking about.  
  
"I don't hear anything," she said, a frown descending on her features.  
  
The old woman's face lit up with a triumphant smile and she beamed at the young Sorceress. "Exactly. The monsters are being bred out of these areas. The world is renewing again, and the cycle goes on and on."  
  
"I don't understand," Rinoa started, getting up to stand face to face with the woman when a loud crashing was heard from the bushes. The old woman disappeared into the forest in a flash, and Rinoa turned slightly peevishly when she saw Quistis, Irvine and Selphie standing there staring at the orb.  
  
"What is that?" Selphie breathed, reaching out to touch the glimmering sphere still held within Zell's palm.  
  
The duelist jerked his arm back violently, not letting Selphie's fingertips getting in reach of the shining orb. "Don't touch it," he growled, his teeth grit and ready to bite off the nearest offending finger.  
  
Selphie yelped and pulled her hand out of Zell's reach, and Irvine stepped forward angrily, wanted to get a word in with the man who had threatened his girlfriend.  
  
"What's your problem Zell? She just wanted to get a look! You don't have to be so damn selfish!" Irvine yelled, his eyes flicking back and forth between Zell's eyes and the orb held within his grasp.  
  
Quistis tried to step in, being the voice of reason within the group. "Guys, c'mon, it's just a trinket some gypsy probably left behind," she started to argue, but even the strong teacher couldn't waver her eyes from the ball of crimson that was less than a few feet away from her.  
  
Rinoa swallowed hard and then reached her hand out, palm up toward Zell. "Give me the orb Zell. None of you can withstand its power. Please, let me try to deactivate it."  
  
The blonde duelist seemed to become incredibly angry at this statement and began to scream at the raven-haired Sorceress. "And why the hell should I? Just because you think you're all big with your Sorceress powers? To hell with you bitch!"  
  
Rinoa recoiled like she had been slapped and Squall stepped forward to defend her, carefully keeping his eyes averted from the orb. "Zell, Rinoa knows what she's doing. As your Commander, I order you to hand over the orb."  
  
Zell slowly began to obey, his face twisted into a grimace of displeasure as he did so. His arm trembled as he dropped the orb into Rinoa's hand, and the young Sorceress almost tumbled from the magical weight of the thing. Looking at the orb, Rinoa began to shiver again. This was bad. Very bad. 


End file.
